Masterpiece for Osmo

Masterpiece for Osmo is now available in the app store. It's their 4th activity. My students have been fortunate enough to have been beta testers for the app so we've been using it for awhile.

The app, in my mind, is like 21st century tracing paper. Students start with a drawing (on the iPad) and the lines of the drawing are projected onto paper for them to trace. The initial drawing on the photo can be something from the Masterpiece gallery, a photo students take, or something saved in the camera roll. In that sense there's a lot of flexibility. In addition students can add items as they draw that are not in the original and they can color it in.

Photos in the camera roll are arranged by subject. There are items to trace of differing complexity--from a very basic outline to something that looks like an art student's work.

Although fun and enjoyed by the students, it has been harder for me to come up with meaningful classroom uses for this app compared to the previous 3 apps, but here are some ways we've used it.

--pick an animal from the gallery, label with existing means of protection and then add 3 adaptations that don't exist that would help the animal further protect itself

--2 students draw the same item and compare their drawings (not for whose it better but for similarities and differences), I did however pair students with similar artistic ability

--students drew a character for a narrative they wrote which will be the story cover

--practice correctly writing letters and numbers (this they wrote on lined paper rather than blank paper)

--outline items from a photo, add in something that isn't really there and see if a partner can find it, use clues as necessary

--on day 1 give students about 5 objects and a balance and have them determine relative weight of the items. On day 2 students take a picture of the balance to draw with a new item in the balance and 1 of the objects from day 1. Based on how the new item and the object from day 1 compare in weight students draw the balance with the new object on one side and one of the 4 objects from day 1 that they no longer have access to. How many of those objects and which ones do they need to add to make the scale balance?

--free choice activity